Hot-Air Henry
"Hot Air Henry" is Episode 1 in Season 2. It originally aired on July 16, 1984. Synopsis The episode begins with LeVar dreaming of spreading his wings and flying. Today he is going to get his chance to experience that feeling, and he invites the viewers to come along. He goes up in a helicopter and flies to the place where he'll be taking them. He states that his secret dream is to soar above the treetops with the world below him. He is going to a hot air balloon festival in South Carolina where there will be over 40 hot air balloons ready to take to the sky. After he lands at the place where the festivities will be held, he introduces the viewers to some of the greatest balloonists in the United States. They are preparing to launch the special Reading Rainbow balloon. Flying in one can be magical, but imagine what it's like taking off when you don't expect it. LeVar and the balloonists prepare the balloon for the event. One is made of a special nylon like a parachute. It actually takes about six or seven minutes to fill up one as big as the one LeVar will be launching. He can't wait to take off in it. Since the beginning of time, people have always dreamed about flying. Once in a while, they came up with ideas that never really did take off. LeVar shows a short black-and-white film of those ideas that didn't really take flight. It looks like he and the others are ready for takeoff. He describes what is happening at the launch field. On the ground, the crowd cheers the balloonists who are cruising the sky. He feels like a bird as he flies in the balloon. The dream of people taking off and flying has come true. But nowadays, the one of flying has soared to even further heights. At Space Camp in Alabama, some school kids have a chance to experience what it's like to train like an astronaut. It takes several years of experience to be a professional one in space. When they first traveled into there, they ate food from squeeze tubes. During actual space missions, Mission Control tells them when to launch, abort missions, and arrive home. Kids get to experience what it's like to walk on the Moon and travel in a moon buggy. Up in the sky, LeVar can see everything for miles around. He and his friend make the balloon go higher, and they sail over the treetops. A song about floating across the sky and flying is heard showing what the world looks like from there. LeVar says he'll never see the world quite the same way again now that he had his chance to fly. He hopes that most of us will get a chance to go flying like he did and to discover the feeling of leaving the noisy world below. Review Books *Easy to Make Spaceships *Just Us Women *The Big Balloon Race Category:Season 2 Category:Episodes